Today, many set-top boxes (STBs) operating in broadcast networks have limited processing capabilities that limit utilization of interactive applications such as games. Since the ability to display and manipulate rich multimedia content is considered essential for many interactive applications, particularly interactive games, the limited processing capabilities of the STBs enable utilization of only simple types of interactive applications and particularly simple types of games having uncomplicated or slow-changing backgrounds.
Some aspects of technologies and related art that may be useful in understanding the present invention are described in the following publications:
Published PCT patent application WO 98/57718, which describes apparatus for interactively generating a display signal;
Published European Patent application EP 0873772, which describes an interactive, predictive game control system for use in conjunction with a live TV broadcast received by one or more remote players;
Published European Patent application EP 1050328, which describes an interactive broadcast system comprising a plurality of user interfaces each comprising a local clock signal generator;
Published PCT patent application WO 00/45599, which describes an interactive system that provides a video program signal and generates interactive content data to be associated with at least one object within a frame of the video program;
Published PCT Application WO 00/01149, assigned to NDS Limited, which describes a digital television recording method comprising: broadcasting a television program associated with a broadcaster set of parameters enabling access to a first set of predetermined portions of the program; operating an agent for determining whether to record the program and for associating with the program, upon recording of the program, an agent set of parameters enabling access to a second set of predetermined portions of the program; storing the program together with the broadcaster set of parameters and the agent set of parameters to generate an addressable program; retrieving at least a portion of the addressable program; displaying the at least a portion of the addressable program to a user; receiving from the user a user set of parameters enabling access to a third set of predetermined portions of the addressable program; editing the addressable program to include the user set of parameters enabling access to the third set of predetermined portions of the addressable program thereby generating an edited addressable program; and storing the edited addressable program;
Published PCT Application WO 01/52541, assigned to NDS Limited, which describes a method for displaying advertisements transmitted to a user unit;
Published PCT Application WO 02/01866 and published US Patent Application US 2003/0163832, both assigned to NDS Limited, which describe methods and apparatus for managing, implementing and using interactive applications and content that are digitally recorded and viewed in real-time and/or a time-shifted mode;
A publication of NDS Limited at the World Wide Web site www.nds.com/interactive_tv/interactive_tv.html of interactive television infrastructure Value@TV™;
A document ISO/IEC-13818-6, MPEG DSM-CC specifications, July 1999;
Publications of the following software tools: Discreet™'s 3ds Max™ and Combustion™ that are described at the World Wide. Web site www.discreet.com/3dsmax; Alias™'s Maya™ which is described at the World Wide Web site www.alias.com; Softimage|XSI which is described at the World Wide Web site www.softimage.com; Pinnacle Commotion which is described at the World Wide Web site www.pinnaclesys.com; Adobe's After Effects software which is described at the World Wide Web site www.adobe.com; and Avid Technology, Inc.'s Media Composer and Avid Xpress that are described at the World Wide Web site www.avid.com;
Published PCT Application WO 03/010970, assigned to NDS Limited, which describes a method for accessing a desired point in time-synchronized data within a stream, the stream being associated with time information, the method including providing a desired presentation time associated with a desired point within a time-synchronized data stream, determining a stream access point, decoding the stream beginning at the stream access point, and assigning a time associated with the stream access point as a utilization time;
Published PCT Application WO 01/35669 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/574,096, both assigned to NDS Limited, which describe a method for processing a data stream including receiving a transport stream (TS), storing at least a portion of the TS, the at least a portion of the TS having a beginning and including a plurality of TS packets, determining, from among the plurality of TS packets, at least one TS packet including a candidate access point, storing in an index store a byte offset of the candidate access point; and storing in the index store a plurality of indications of byte offset, each byte offset being associated with an arrival time of a received TS packet;
Published US Patent application 2002/0199190 of Su, which describes a method and apparatus for presenting a variety of content from a multitude of sources broadcast from a head end server to a client device;
Published US Patent application 2002/0188943 of Freeman et al, which describes an interactive digital system enabling viewers full and active participation in experiencing a live broadcast event;
Published US Patent application 2002/0112249 of Hendricks et al, which describes a method and an apparatus that are used to target interactive virtual objects to subscribers in a television delivery system;
Published US Patent application 2002/0086734 of Krishnan et al, which describes an Electronic Game Console that is connected to a television set-top box;
Published US Patent application 2002/0085122 of Konuma, which describes an image display method and device;
Published US Patent application 2002/0069415 of Humbard et al, which describes a user interface and navigator that improves the viewer's viewing experience and provides improved access to programs, including interactive features;
Published US Patent application 2002/0050999 of San et al, which describes a fully programmable graphics microprocessor which is designed to be embodied in a removable external memory unit for connection with a host information processing system;
Published US Patent application 2002/0035728 of Fries, which describes an interactive entertainment and information system using a television set-top box, wherein pages of information are periodically provided to the set-top box for user interaction therewith;
Published US Patent application 2001/0047518 of Sahota et al, which describes a method and system to provide interactivity using an interactive channel bug;
Published US Patent applications 2001/0043224 and 2001/0040577 of San et al, which describe an external memory system having programmable graphics processor for use in a video game system or the like;
Published US Patent application 2003/0011636 of Feroglia et al, which describes a method for magnifying content;
Published US Patent application 2003/0093786 of Amsellem, which describes a method for producing an interactive television broadcast;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,569 to Chernock et al, which describes a system for video, audio, and graphic presentation in tandem with video/audio play;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,239 to Ezer et al, which describes a media coprocessor for performing 3-D graphics, video, and audio functions;
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,259,828 and 6,205,260 to Crinon et al, which describe a sprite-based coding system that includes an encoder and decoder where sprite-building is automatic and segmentation of the sprite object is automatic and integrated into the sprite building as well as the coding process;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,536 of Hendricks et al, which describes a network manager for use with a cable television system headend capable of monitoring and managing headend components and set top terminals in a television delivery system;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,150 to Lengyel et al, which describes a layered graphics rendering pipeline for real time 3D animation that independently renders terms in a shading model to separate image layers;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,445 to Dufaux, which describes dynamic sprites for encoding video data;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,908 to Gerba et al, which describes a method and apparatus for linking real-time data with audiovisual content to enable a user to make selections, manipulate data, and to execute functions interactively through an audiovisual display unit based upon audiovisual content being displayed at the time;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,320 to Vancelette, which describes a multi-channel television system with viewer-selectable video and audio;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,352 to Moezzi et al, which describes immersive video, including video hypermosaicing to generate from multiple video views of a scene a three-dimensional video mosaic from which diverse virtual video scene images are synthesized, including panoramic, scene interactive and stereoscopic images;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,230 to San et al, which describes an external memory system having programmable graphics processor for use in a video game system or the like;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,440 to Allibhoy et al, which describes automatic execution of an application in interactive television;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,617 to Kenworthy et al, which describes a method and system for depth complexity reduction in a graphics rendering system;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,172 to Kapell et al, which describes a video entertainment system that includes a video display device and a user interface unit connected for operation in conjunction with the video display device to receive a television image and to display the television image on the video display device;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,539 to Metz et al, which describes downloading of applications software through a broadcast channel;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,770 to Shiels et al, which describes information handling for an interactive apparatus;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,401 of Volk et al, which describes an object-oriented system for generating and displaying control items that allow users of an interactive network to recognize and select control functions via a graphical user interface;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,368 to Matthews, which describes an interactive television system and method for viewer control of multiple camera viewpoints in broadcast programming;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,791 to Berman, which describes apparatus for use with standard television (TV) for superimposing images, captions, titles, or other information over the television scene; and
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,199 to Thompson, which describes an interactive media system and telecomputing method using telephone keypad signaling.
An aspect of timing information protection which may be useful in understanding the present invention is described in a UK patent application of NDS Limited, filed 26 Jan. 2004 and entitled “Timeline Protection”, and in a corresponding US Provisional patent application of David White, filed 27 Jan. 2004 and entitled “Timeline Protection”.
The disclosures of all references mentioned above and throughout the specification, as well as the disclosures of all references mentioned in those references, are hereby incorporated herein by reference.